Category Archives: Love

LOVER OF STRANGERS

Posted on August 27, 2012 by stanwiedeman

Only three weeks ago Sunday, a neo-Nazi white supremacist, Wade Michael Page, used a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun to kill six worshipers and wound four more inside a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. One day later, a Muslim mosque burned to the ground in Joplin, Missouri, a month after another fire at the same mosque was extinguished. Officials suspect arson, although no one has been arrested. Four days later, a neighbor to a Muslim mosque in Morton Grove, Illinois (suburb of Chicago) fired several shots from a pellet gun at the building. Muslims inside the packed facility were completing the final day of Ramadan. The incident capped a series of hostile acts towards the congregation. Continue reading →

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WHEN LOVE IS ABSENT

Posted on March 22, 2012 by stanwiedeman

In moral terms, bullying must qualify as conduct contrary to love. Conduct contrary to love must be defined as a form of hate. Hate crime laws do not go far enough, because they restrict the definition to a few protected classes. Any action aimed to hurt another person physically or emotionally describes an act of hate.

Justice defines the penalties for violations of the laws formally enacted by legislation. If no law exists, no penalty can be exacted. Anti-bullying legislation moves closer towards the moral principle established by the Old Testament and reiterated by Jesus, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All behavior should be judged by this immutable and comprehensive principle of love. Continue reading →

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WHAT THE INTERNET TELLS US ABOUT OURSELVES

Posted on April 18, 2011 by stanwiedeman

One has to wonder about a cyber community that invites and facilitates acrimonious speech. The anonymity of those who comment plays to the dark side of human nature. Meanness does not require accountability. One can make unpleasant and painful comments without being confronted, except by another anonymous comment. This provides the darkness where sinful behavior loves to hide. Continue reading →

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A LESSON FROM A FOUR-LEGGED FRIEND

Posted on December 22, 2010 by stanwiedeman

“A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes or designer clothes. A water-logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he’ll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?” Continue reading →

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